No More Senior Slump

Now that college admissions applications are in and graduation is just a few short weeks away, many high school seniors may be tempted to start slacking off. But with a growing number of colleges now making admission contingent on final grades, senior slump can have serious consequences. According to the Associated Press, many universities now have a policy of checking with high school guidance counselors to see how students are doing just before mailing acceptance letters.

“We have a policy to do 100 percent verification to ensure that final high school transcripts are received and reviewed,” said Matt Whelan, assistant provost for admissions and financial aid at Stony Brook University in New York, told the AP. “While it has been the exception, unfortunately, I have had the experience of sending letters to students informing them that because they did not successfully complete high school, they could were no longer admitted, and we rescinded both admission and financial aid.”

While harsh action based strictly on academic grounds remains the exception rather than the rule, most universities do not hesitate to rescind their offers if students are involved in serious incidents involving violence, cheating or alcohol or drugs.”The colleges cannot afford to take students who are immature socially and morally,” says Don Dunbar, author of the book, “What You Don’t Know Can Keep You Out of College.”

So does that mean senior slump has gone away? Not entirely, says Andrew Selesnick, principal of Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, N.Y., an affluent suburb where 90 percent of the students apply to college. I don’t want to give the impression that it’s gone away. It’s not like it’s not there. We do see some drop-off in terms of performance and attendance, but we don’t see a lot of kids who go from 60 to zero.”